Commission to promote clean and energy
efficient vehicles

The European Commission has adopted today a
proposal that aims to reduce fuel consumption as well as
CO2 and pollutant emissions from road
vehicles. A substantial reduction may be achieved by public authorities
procuring clean and energy efficient vehicles for public transport services and
introducing them into their fleet. Citizens living in urban areas will be the
major beneficiaries of these measures.

"The growing efforts of public authorities to promote clean and energy
efficient vehicles need to be supported at European level by guaranteeing
manufacturers the same market rules all over the European Union", said
Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot in charge of transport.

The proposed Directive introduces environmental aspects into public
procurement of vehicles and transport services. It covers vehicles procured by
public authorities and by operators providing public transport services. When
procuring vehicles, public authorities will use lifetime costs for
CO2 and pollutant emissions as well as for fuel consumption as award
criteria. The application of these criteria will first be optional, then
mandatory from 2012.

Public procurement represents a key and visible market. The Directive
therefore is expected, over the long term, to boost the use of clean and energy
efficient vehicles and to reduce their costs through economies of scale. This
will also improve energy efficiency and the reduction of CO2 and
pollutant emissions from the whole vehicle fleet in Europe.